


Such Different Fears

by 0Sion0



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Love/Hate, M/M, Magical Marriage, Romance, Slow Build, Trust, and even more fluff, they're just happy with each other, what else do you need?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:07:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28920318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0Sion0/pseuds/0Sion0
Summary: Ink once set himself an almost impossible task: to get rid of Error's haptophobia. But what if it didn't turn out the way he wanted it to?
Relationships: Error/Ink
Comments: 2
Kudos: 67





	1. A Drop of Touches

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ToasterTale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToasterTale/gifts).
  * A translation of [Такие Разные Страхи](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/746895) by Альфа энд Ро. 



> This story is originally Russian and belongs to [Альфа энд Ро](https://ficbook.net/authors/532017). Translation made for my friend ToasterTale. I hope you're both enjoying this!
> 
> Thanks Crescent Moogle for the beta-reading.

"Come on, Error," the guardian of universes said enthusiastically. "I know you can do it!"  
"How many times do I have to tell you?" the other glitched irritably. "Just because I can tolerate your company doesn't mean I can tolerate your touch!" Error glanced at the artist's outstretched hand.  
"Hey, stop being so grumpy!" guardian winked. "Don't you want to overcome your phobia? Or," he squinted in satisfaction, "do you want to constantly crash from any touch?"  
"Ugh, shut up," the destroyer snapped, nervously fiddling with his scarf. "Okay, I'll try. But don't you dare do something stupid!"  
"Oh, it's not as if we're strangers!" the other laughed. "Don't be afraid, Error! It's not in my best interest to make you cry!"  
"Hell, go to Classic and take a couple of normal humor lessons from him!" the skeleton was about to escape when he was stopped by a single sentence.  
"Glitchy, your haptophobia," Ink changed his pupils to an exclamation mark and a crosshair.

With a grunt and a deep sigh, Error looked down at the hand that was held out to him. Yeah, the last time he shook hands was a few years ago with a human who then betrayed him. This time, he will definitely be screwed up. He's sure of it.

The guardian gave him an understanding smile and waited patiently for his friend to gather his strength. He considered helping the glitch no less important than protecting the universes from him, so he patiently watched Error's expression. There were traces of anger, fear, hope, and just a little trust.

After some time, the other began to shyly stretch out his hand, but stopped just a few centimeters from the goal. The fear was clearly stronger.

"Glitchy," the protector called to get his attention, and Error raised his head. Ink smiled softly and whispered sincerely: "I'm with you!"

These pathetic little three words were able to instill some ghostly confidence in the destroyer, and he managed to touch the artist's hand with his palm.

Ink smiled happily, while a few glitches ran down Error’s back. There was a strange feeling that the guardian's palm was very soft and unusually warm. Isn't he just a skeleton like him?

"You did it! You did it!" There was no limit to the artist's joy. Seeing this, Error immediately withdrew his hand. Just in time, because Ink threw up, good thing he noticed it and managed to turn away. The destroyer sighed — he would never get used to it, even though he had learned to ignore it.  
"Well, what did you feel?" the other immediately pestered with questions. As if something else was expected. And knowing Ink, he won't back off.  
"Um..." he didn't know how to lie. "That... was weird."  
"In other words, you liked it!" The stars shone brightly in Ink's eyes, shimmering with the colors of the rainbow. "Now, to get you used to it, we will shake hands every time we meet. And then we'll get to hugs!" The artist grasped the end of his scarf and began to record the events of the day. It was strange that all the records were gradually disappearing, but due to his nature, Error knew that the information had simply passed into some other form.  
"Okay! See you tomorrow!" with a flick of the brush, the other deftly leaped into the improvised ink hole, hiding somewhere on the other side of their vast Multiverse.  
"See you, Shorty," Error said softly, disappearing somewhere in the Anti-Void code.

  


***

  


"Error, are you forgetting something?" Oh, that nasty little voice was already ingrained in his skull. Error looked at the outstretched hand again, and then at its owner.  
"Only to calm you down!" he almost hissed and tried to touch him with a sigh. Already roughly knowing what to expect, the destroyer was much more confident and calmer. The artist's hands still felt oddly warm, but he couldn't figure out why.  
"Theereee! Much better this time!" the guardian quickly noted this achievement on the fabric and then looked at glitch with satisfaction. "Now we can go with a clear conscience to have fun. How about you?"  
Instead of answering, the other only nodded and trudged after him.

It went on day after day, every time they met. The artist persevered with his goal, forcing the destroyer to bear with his infinite enthusiasm. And they must admit that the method worked! Error took Ink's hand with less distaste, and even almost stopped paying attention to it, which was really good to see.

"Well, Error, I think we should move on to the second stage of our plan!" the skeleton almost sang with the same enthusiasm and endless positivity.  
"Your plan, Ink. Only yours," glitch stressed. "What are you up to? If you think that I…"  
"Hush, Glitchy, it's much easier!" the guardian smiled. "I suggest you look at these drawings", with these words he gave his friend a sketchbook. Out of interest, the other opened this cluster of random sheets and on them he found almost photographic images of various gestures with... their palms. It was very strange. Either Ink had such a rich imagination or something else, but it looked impressive. He knew they were their hands, if only because there were small scars on the bones, each of which he recognized.  
"Um, I probably shouldn't have done that... well..." worried the protector, who abruptly turned on the "typical artist" mode, who is afraid to show his work to anyone. "You know, let's try something other than a handshake. How about we just put our palms together?" Ink snapped his fingers, and the album instantly dissolved into drops of paint.  
"Did you just destroy it?" the glitch asked with slight shock.  
"Well, not exactly… I just made it what it was," the artist was suddenly confronted with Error's meaningful look that seemed to see right through him. "Okaaay, yes, I destroyed it. But these are my drawings, not someone else's, so I can do whatever I want with them!"  
"Can you turn other things to paint?"  
"That's not why we're here, Error! I..."  
"Answer the question, and then you can do what you want," the glitch appeared to be completely serious.  
"Yes, I can, but I won't do it. Satisfied? Let's get back to your phobia."  
"Here", Error held out his hand. "Do what you want."  
"You just trust me with your hand? You're not afraid? Seriously?!" Ink went into real shock. In response, Error looked at him as if he was an idiot. "Oh, okay, I get it!" the guardian gathered his strength and was about to start, but hesitated.  
"What's wrong with you this time?" the other muttered, watching the artist's odd behaviour.  
"You were always afraid, but now you trust me? Why?"  
"Probably because I really need to get rid of this nasty phobia," the destroyer sighed and turned away.  
Ink looked at Error's hand again and gently touched it with his index finger. The other immediately became covered with a number of glitches, but endured. At least he didn't crash or pull his hand away, which was a good sign. The handshakes were not in vain. The artist slowly, gradually took Error's palm in his own and began to examine it from all sides. At some point he managed to get their fingers intertwined. All of a sudden, he noticed that Error had been watching his actions all this time, and it made Ink terribly uncomfortable. But instead of being judgmental or anything like that, the destroyer just asked:  
"Why are you wearing these gloves?" which stunned the artist.  
"You know," it suddenly dawned on him, "take them off with your hands and find out!" That would be a great test, because if Error wouldn't cheat, it would mean he almost overcame his fear.  
Without saying a word, Error pulled at the edge of Ink's glove. The other just froze in surprise, not expecting Error to go for it without hesitation. The cloth flew to the ground, and the artist tried to hide his hand behind his back. As expected, the strings didn't allow that to happen.  
"Error, we agreed!"  
"We didn't agree on anything, so shut up. Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "Grey bones? Pfft!" He broke into a grin. "So that's what you're shy about? What's this?" he glanced at the sleeve of Ink's t-shirt, where the tip of the tattoo was visible under it.  
He continued speaking, completely ignoring the rainbow-blushing artist and focusing on the object of his interest instead.  
"I've never looked at you up close, so I didn't know you were all covered in secrets!" the destroyer joked, resenting his poor eyesight. Ink swallowed nervously. This wasn't what he wanted right now. "I never thought you'd draw even on yourself. Although I guess you could do more than that out of boredom," He released the artist and the other sighed with relief. Returning the glove to its place, the guardian, out of habit, asked the glitch about his feelings. After receiving another blank response, he returned to his room, a little nervous. This was not what he had expected. Not at all.  
What happened in those few minutes? It was like an electric shock and stretched like rubber. Just like Error had never let anyone touch him before, Ink had never shown his body to anyone. Even his hands. There is a reason he wears six layers of clothing, right? Perhaps it will be one of the Error's trump cards in awkward situations?  
...Yeah, it definitely will.

The artist, swimming in the Doodle Sphere, curled up, hiding his face in a scarf. He had never been so ashamed.

  


***

  


The destroyer watched with a grin as the once bold and determined guardian of the universes looked away with ill-concealed anxiety. It was really stupid of him to think that no one would notice. It was almost hilarious. Perhaps Error had found a new source of entertainment; watching Ink’s rage without him being able to do anything in response was awesome.  
"What's wrong, Shorty?" it might be pure stupidity, but why not? "I see you're all flushed with color!"  
"Error, that's enough!" the other tried to look menacing, but he still looked like a small kitten. The glitch tried to hold back his laughter, which made his smile look a little strange.  
"What? Don't you want to shake my hand this time? Looks like someone's being touchy." He snickered. "Tsk, that’s my privilege, Ink!"  
"No! I just-" he tried to think of an excuse, but as luck would have it, nothing came to his mind.  
The destroyer couldn't hold back and began to chuckle openly. Ink‘s expression made it impossible not to laugh. Confused, angry, ashamed, and unable to say anything in response. On the battlefield they were equal, but here the glitch had a clear advantage, because the artist revealed his weaknesses too easily.  
"Little touchy!" said Error, exultantly watching the guardian's face grow even more expressive.  
"I'm not touchy! And I’m not small at all! Stop it, or I'll-" he broke off again.  
"Or what? You hit me with that giant brush you use to compensate your height?"  
"Or I'll hug you!"

And then glitch stopped abruptly. The smile faded, and he took a step back.

"You won't do it," he said sharply. He knew very well that some of the artist's actions were impossible to predict, but he certainly wouldn't commit such cruelty. Or would he? It would be better if Ink hit him with the brush than violate his personal space.  
"Are you sure?" now the artist broke into a sly smile, holding his hands out.  
"Don't you dare! Touch me and our good relationship is over!" It was useless to threaten Ink, because the consequences were always the last thing on his mind, if at all. Even if Error really stopped communicating with him the artist would wriggle out and get through to him, as he has already done twice. It was better to leave things as they were rather than waiting for that rainbow bastard to pop around the corner again.  
"I'll still hug you one day, Error!" His eyes were now bright stars, his smile becoming kind. The guardian looked as if he wanted what was best for him, but somehow that scared the destroyer even more. Whether glitch wanted this or not, Ink would get his way.

He looked at the outstretched hands again, then at Ink’s face, finding that look of eternal positivity and dedication. Ink was a very weird Sans, and he was well aware of that on top of it. Error knew a lot of universes. Maybe not as many as Ink did, but unlike the artist, the destroyer carefully explored the code of each world. He could say without doubt that there was no such strange, unusual, and energetic creature anywhere else. This made him both uncomfortable and a little happy, which was completely illogical. Maybe because unlike all these similar alternative versions, Ink was the most original? Probably, if he had any other appearance, different from the characters of the classic universe, Error wouldn't even recognise the AU garbage in him.

"Okay, Error! Let me just shake your hand." The artist managed to calm down during this awkward moment of silence and just sighed. "We'll start hugging another time!"

Instead of answering, the other nodded again and without any hesitation touched Ink's palm, catching himself that it was somehow unobtrusive, but he was starting to like it. The artist perfectly brightens up his loneliness, and he doesn't want to lose it.

Maybe this is not so bad?

  


***

  


"Oh, fine! You won," Ink sighed in frustration. "Make a wish. But not an embarrassing one or one concerning our work!”  
"Whatever you say, Shorty. Hmm..." The glitch rubbed his chin as if he were some kind of aesthete. "So what can I ask for?"

Meanwhile, the artist began to fiddle with his vials with a very dissatisfied look, mentally preparing for the fact that the destroyer could easily think of something tricky. It's not pleasant to lose. Waiting for Error to think, the guardian sat down next to a nearby tree, hiding from the bright sunlight. At some point, he noticed a very conveniently located branch.

"Hey, Error!" Glitch turned in his direction, puzzled. "Can you make a swing?"  
"Have you forgotten how to do it yourself?" The destroyer grinned. "It's too high for you, right? Poor thing! Well, let me help you!" Another victory. Error mentally rewarded himself with an extra point for banter, summoning and twisting the strings so that they attached to the branch firmly. Ink muttered, thanked him, and drew a sitting board, starting to swing. 

As he watched the guardian laugh softly and smile at the wind in his face, the glitch found himself enjoying seeing Ink like this again. Cheerful, enjoying life... Something about it fascinated him and made him smile too.

Remembering about his wish, Error thought again. Asking to create something would be too easy and uninteresting, because the artist can draw everything; forcing him to do something would be boring. He wanted the little one to feel awkward again, because this was what made Ink's face as funny as possible. He might have an idea.

"Ink, I decided on a wish," the glitch stood to the side of the swing to avoid Ink bumping into him.  
"Oh, what is it?" the other asked warily, pausing his swinging.  
"Give me your scarf." Before the guardian could say anything, the destroyer added: "Don't worry, I'm not going to take it away."

The artist looked around, not getting what the trick was, then looked into Error's eyes to make sure that he was not joking and was not going to do something nasty.  
"I have no idea why you need my scarf, but only if you return it later," Ink began to untie the knot at the back, after which he gave the scarf to Error.

Seeing Ink without this element of clothing was unusual; the glitch even grinned, but back to business. The fabric was durable and pleasant to the touch. It seemed as if it was not fabric at all, but soft paper, which, apparently, isn't so far from the truth, since the artist is always writing something on it. After performing a simple code manipulation, Error opened the access window and copied all the information from the scarf.

"What the- What are you doing???" the poor guardian shouted, realizing why the glitch had asked for this. The scarf was not only a kind of a personal diary but also what served as Ink’s memory, so his outrage was easy to understand. Does the destroyer despise him so much that he would allow himself to pry into his memories?

"Hush, Ink, I just want to see," the other responded with satisfaction, rejoicing in another victory.  
"I don't want you to read it! It's personal!" Anger had already taken on color in Ink's eyes.  
"Oh, big deal! This is just-" glitch stopped abruptly and his face changed as he saw something in the middle of the lines.  
"Error? What are you-" Ink asked fearfully, peering through the window.

_‘I don't remember anything at all about what happened before I got to this strange empty place. I just know I'm not from here. The paints let me feel, and I feel lonely. I'm very scared. There's no one here. Why am I here?’_

Several other notes had similar content. Error understood what was being said more than anyone else, and the thought made him uneasy.

"So you lived in the Anti-Void as well?" It was unclear whether he asked or stated a fact. "And you were lonely, too… Is that why you want to help me?"

The artist was taken aback and fell silent, nodding with resignation at these words. There was an awkward pause between them, and only the sound of water in the distance broke the silence.

"To be honest," Ink began timidly, "that's why I hate empty spaces and try to fill them with color or things… And you know..." he reached for the scarf out of habit, but it wasn't there, so the artist accidentally put his hands on his chest. "When I'm with you, I'm starting to feel like I have a soul…"

Error felt guilty. He lowered his eyes and closed the window with a flick of his fingers. He handed Ink's scarf back to him with his other hand.

"Ink, I'm sorry..." it was unusual for him to say something like this, but his conscience was blatantly gnawing on him inside. "That was really rude of me."

"Um... do you want to swing?" The guardian was uneasy himself, so he decided to change the subject. Fortunately for him, the glitch was happy to agree.

"You need a push?" the artist asked as the destroyer sat down and began to rock. In response, the other looked the questioner up and down, and then silently created another swing next to him. Ink began to smile, and soon the two of them were laughing contentedly, trying to compete against each other to see who could swing the highest.

_‘I don't believe this happening, but why... does it feel so good to be together?’_


	2. A Pinch of Frolic

Error gazed at the pillow in front of him with disgust. Why was he doing this? This is so stupid! However, the destroyer continued to stare at the innocent thing.

Seriously, he could do something more useful instead. Destroy a couple of worlds, for example. But no, the glitch persisted to think about what he shouldn't be thinking about.

Ink was the same as him, but chose a different path. What went wrong? Why did this happen? Even after re-examining the artist's early notes, Error was unable to answer this question.

They both appeared in the Anti-Void and were alone for a very long time. Both got a chance to get where they want to go. But the glitch began to hate what he had discovered, and Ink loved it with all his being. Was it because of his missing memories? Ink didn't remember his world, and it was easier for him to get used to it? Bullshit! But then... why?

Does this mean that one of them made a mistake when choosing their purpose?

Five people moved freely through the Multiverse: he, Ink, the Apple brothers and that parasite. Although there were some inconsistencies regarding the latter one, it didn’t matter. Seraphim and Cross could move, but only to places to which they knew the way. Why was he listing these particular people? Only the ones who could travel between the AUs had power to influence the Multiverse at all. And it was only the people with enough power whose opinion counted.

Ink protected worlds, though it wasn’t clear why. Apparently creating something had a beneficial effect on his magic and made him stronger. Just like the desire to destroy made Error stronger. The Apple brothers needed AUs simply because their power came from the emotions of living beings. That's why Nightmare and destroyer didn’t like each other. The parasite needed living bodies even more, but Error didn’t even want to think about it. Seraphim conditionally absorbed eight human souls, but with his new abilities, he was only so-so and he was still weaker than Error. He didn’t care about the Multiverse. Cross... Well, that one just had a unique code and half the soul of a pretty strong Reality Editor, which gave him such privileges. You could say that it doesn't count, but X-Chara also wanted there to be only one universe. So far, four-two in favor of the AUs’ survival.

If the destroyer put aside his personal opinions and tried to look at everything objectively, he noticed an interesting fact: if the presence of something, in this case the Multiverse, gives you strength or just benefits then you will, of course, protect it. If it doesn't do you any good, even a small jibe will make you dislike it. Which, in fact, is what happened to him and X-Chara.

Hah, all this thinking about nothing would lead to nothing. The glitch was, and will remain, the only one who cleans up the garbage. He would continue his work, if only because there was no one else to do it. Moreover, he had an agreement with Ink.

So, in relation to Ink…

Error looked at the poor pillow that he had so mercilessly left dangling on the threads again. He needed to get over with this!

Moving closer and closing his eyes, the destroyer imagined that the artist was standing in front of him. No matter how strange the thought made him feel, he should at least try. It felt like the fear of an injection: you know it's not dangerous, but you're painfully afraid. But in fact, there was nothing painful about embracing. Stupid haphephobia...

Gathering his courage, glitch shuddered, wrapped his arms around the pillow and hugged it to him. Opening his eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief. He just hoped that Ink wouldn't do anything wrong the next time they met.

  


***

  


Who would have thought that Nightmare would cling so desperately to one of the dying worlds? Who cared that this was the second most negative universe? Who cared that it gave him power? What has outlived itself must die, and now, when Ink didn’t interfere with the natural course of things, it was much easier to administer justice. Although this lump of goo managed to ruin the destroyer's mood with its persistence. Fortunately, not for long. This AU was now random snippets of code, but now Error was late for the meeting with Ink, and this seriously pissed him off. He would have killed this slimy mess long ago, but the other was too agile.

As he hurriedly passed through the portal, glitch began to look around for the artist. This universe was a real amusement park that just glowed with a variety of colors. The place was just in the spirit of the rainbow guardian.

It was noisy and somehow suffocating. Shouts of delight flicked against the flashing lights, spheres were spinning, and it seemed to sound somewhat like jazz. Boring as hell.

Suddenly, he heard music that wasn't appropriate for this location at all. Someone was playing a flute.

The soft melody began to float in the air, as if charming and making him forget about everything. The destroyer lowered his hands in confusion. It felt like a rush of inspiration, a sense of determination… These sounds filled him with the desire to fulfill some dream… He had never heard anything like this.

The closer the source of the music was, the more clearly glitch felt a certain soft and warm energy. Hold on… It feels like... Ink's touch. Could it be him?

At one point, he found the artist on a bench away from the noisy rides. And he _did_ play the flute. Sensing someone else's presence, Ink turned around, and a smile appeared on his face.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come. Did you forget? Are you me now?" he laughed and held out his hand.  
"Nightmare just overestimated his own strength," glitch said lazily, sitting down next to him and shaking the other's hand. "I didn't know you could play the flute."  
"I master almost all the known types of art, and drawing is my main one" the artist explained fluently, putting the tool away. "Oh, Error! I remembered that I wanted to show you... where is it..." Ink began to enthusiastically dig in his sash, which also turned out to be a bag.  
" _You_ remember something? Really?" glitch tried to stifle a chuckle. "Ink, you surprise me!"  
"Here!" The star-eyes stared at the black skeleton, a piece of code shining between them.  
"What is it?" Error asked in surprise as he unpacked the file. "A melody?"  
"Yes! That's what I played before you came." Ink looked like someone who was up to something. "Can you sing?"  
"Sing? Shorty, are you kidding me? Don’t you hear my voice?" Glitch pointed at himself, hinting at the perpetual changes in tone and the effect of a chewed record.  
"I like your voice!" Ink said encouragingly. "You just have to try it! Come on! Repeat after me: _I'm go-onna reach for the sta-ars!_ "  
"Ink, I won't do it, don't even try" the glitch crossed his arms and turned away.  
" _Although they loo-ok pretty fa-ar!_ " the artist didn’t let up, and the glitch just grunted. " _I'm go-onna find my own wa-ay! And ta-ake a chance on toda-ay!_ Come on, Error, just try it!"  
"Like I'm going to embarrass myself in front of you... No!"  
"Even like this?" the guardian put his hand on the skeleton's shoulder.  
"Take it away!" the other shouted, twitching at the touch and jumping up from the bench. "Ink, I warned you!"  
"Error, just try it, you won't die from it!" the artist grinned.  
"You won't leave me alone, will you?" the glitch narrowed his eyes, and his friend shook his head maliciously. "Okay, but I'm not responsible for the consequences!" With a sigh, he returned to his seat.  
"Let's go again: _I'm go-onna reach for the sta-ars!_ " sang Ink, smiling.  
" _I'm gonna..._ " Error parodied the thin voice of the guardian and began to laugh out loud, for which he received a disapproving look. " _Reach for the!!!_ " taking full advantage of his feature, glitch switched to high, ear-splitting tones, enjoying the way the artist rolled his eyes. " _ **Sta-ars!**_ " The sound that should have been chewed suddenly overlapped with itself, forming a beautiful echo. This surprised both the owner of a specific voice and its listener.  
"I knew it! I knew you could sing!" Ink's joy was boundless, and the destroyer just looked down in disbelief. "Come on, Error, you can do it!" Ink picked up the melody file and turned it on, making the glitch look at himself with displeasure.

The artist began to teach him the words, ignoring the barbs in his address, noticing the unusual sound of these strange transitions in Error's voice.

"Ink, this is the stupidest song I've ever seen. Why exactly this one, and what makes you think I can sing it?" The frown and twitching of his fingers betrayed the tension building inside the destroyer.

"Well, it's beautiful. About space. And you have an unearthly voice, what else do you need?" The artist looked innocent, genuinely smiling and looking directly into Error's eyes.

For some reason, the other felt uneasy. Something began to press inside of him, and a strange uneasiness appeared in his soul. Closing his eyes and sighing, he tried to draw out the lines of the song, but his voice was noticeably trembling in the leaping tonalities, not allowing it to sound at least a little pleasant.

Wanting to encourage his friend, Ink took out his flute and joined in, first softly, then tangibly, awakening confidence and strengthening determination.

At some point, glitch began to sing along to the artist without too much discontent. He pulled the notes much more confidently, allowing the distortions to create a rhythmic trill and barely noticeable iridescence of notes, gracefully complementing the song.

" _I'll keep on running!_ " Like a computer program, the destroyer created many overlays, imitating the multi-voice, but suddenly stopped in fright and quickly turned away, realizing what he was doing.

"Error, is everything all right?" Ink asked anxiously, holding out his hand.

Frowning, the destroyer looked away and grabbed his hand with the intention of pushing him away, but for some reason he didn't let go, feeling this weirdly pleasant warmth again.

The artist looked at the multicolored knuckles in disbelief, trying to figure out what had happened, but nothing came to mind. Putting the flute back in his pocket, he put his free hand on top of the glitch's, thinking that this touch would wake him up.

But nothing happened.

To Ink's wild surprise, the glitch calmly endured and it seemed he didn't even pay attention to it.

"Error!" the guardian jumped up and stood directly in front of the black skeleton, not knowing how to make him pay attention. But even in the dim light of a nearby lantern, the artist's eye caught a faint blue blush on Error's cheeks, just over the magic streaks, which was undoubtedly very funny. Pausing for a few seconds, Ink covered his mouth and grinned broadly. No matter how displeased, angry, or menacing the destroyer was, this little detail perfectly spoiled all his efforts.

"Hey, Error, what's wrong?" He snickered. "Did it turn out you like singing after all? Or are you just filled with feelings?"

"Shut up, Rainbow..." the other said bitterly, more out of habit than intentionally, as he began to understand how Ink felt during that awkward accident with the glove.

Something was definitely happening. It was scary.

  


***

  


The destroyer turned a small cupcake with multicolored icing in his hands with interest. The colors looked poisonous, as if this cupcake was meant to burn someone's stomach. The idea was hilarious, and glitch enjoyed imagining these weapons of mass destruction in action. Hundreds of discontented people walking the streets like zombies… There isn’t even any need for genocide here!

But at some point, he put the cupcake in his pocket, remembering another rainbow thing. He wondered what he was doing.

After a cursory examination of the map of the Multiverse known to him, the glitch found the object of his interest in the classic Undertale. The artist was in one of the monster-human cities. What was he doing there?

Opening the access window, Error began to scan the surrounding area. An ordinary city: all around cars, noise, screaming advertising signs; in a nutshell — nasty chaos. The destroyer wouldn't have gone there of his own will.

Although, why does he care what Ink does? This is stupid. It doesn't matter that the artist constantly supports him. It doesn't matter that he brightens up his loneliness. It doesn't matter… that it's boring without him…

He felt his chest tighten again. It was as if someone had plunged a sharp needle right into the soul — it pricked and aggravated, creating a strange fog in the head. No, this was ridiculous! Empty curiosity! Stupid-stupid-stupid!

What was happening? It wasn’t the first time he felt something like that when thinking about Ink. Maybe the guardian did something? Did he give him a potion to make the destroyer so malleable and spineless? Or was he a good manipulant, slowly molding his former enemy to his will?

But together they both came to the conclusion that not all AUs were worthy of life… As well as death. Both made compromises, both came to an agreement. In this war, there could be no winner, and they abandoned the battles in favor of balance… Although, to be honest, except for Ink, no one could properly entertain Error on the battlefield. Even Nightmare couldn't do it, even if he tried very hard. All the while the artist never tried to fight seriously. Yes, sometimes he was angry and overreacted, but he didn't cause any genuine harm.

Again all his thoughts came to Ink…

He had to do something about it.

Meanwhile, he saw a familiar face at the exit of a local art store with a full shopping bag. Well, it was all clear now. Where else could he have gone? Although why would he do that if he could draw anything with his brush?

After a few moments, the artist went around the corner and transported himself somewhere. He would probably be sitting in his workshop again.

Error sighed and took out the cupcake again, lost in thought. The wind howled softly in the distance, swaying the sparse bushes in this desolate area. He kicked off the sandals and began to run his feet over the soft sand, tossing pebbles.

"What are you doing?" a sharp voice came from behind him, making the glitch jump in surprise.  
"Ink, for fuck's sake!" Error yelled. "When will you stop doing this?"  
"Never?" Ink teased, giving Error a dumb smile. "How are you doing without me?"

With a deep sigh and a sidelong glance at the artist, Error tossed the cupcake and grabbed it with the strings.  
"It would be fine if it weren't for your antics…"

"Do you know that it's not polite to play with food?" the other said casually, sitting down next to him. "Look, I brought this for you," he put the bag on the ground and took some yarn out of it. 

"What the-'' the destroyer paused, looking at the unusual yarn. When he picked up one of the balls, he was surprised to find that it was a soft, almost silken material that was very pleasant to hold in his hands. With mute delight, the glitch squeezed it, burying his fingers inside. When he picked up the other ball, he found that it was different, fluffy, like the thinnest bolt of fur. There were a lot of different and beautiful skeins in Ink's bag, which made Error smile awkwardly. "Is this... for me?"

"Sure, you silly!" The guardian smiled thinking about something. "Hey, Error, when's your birthday?"

This innocent phrase made glitch laugh hysterically.

"Ink, are you serious?" He raised an eyebrow. "I don't have one."

The artist's left eye turned into an exclamation mark, and he smiled even more.  
"Then it will be today! The fourth of April! Four-zero-four, it's even symbolic." Ink almost jumped with enthusiasm. "Come on, Error, what do you say?"

The black skeleton opened his mouth in shock, but nothing came out.

"Oh, you have a striped tongue, hehe" Ink remarked in a childish manner, fooling around again.  
"What? Striped? Pfft..." that's what really made the glitch laugh. "Just so you know, Rainbow, you just made two mistakes in a single sentence."  
"Two? Why is that?" the other made a goofy and uncomprehending face.  
"This is why!" the destroyer stuck out his long blue tongues, waving them mockingly in the air.  
"Whoa!" Ink moved away reflexively, blinking rapidly a few times as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "I didn't expect that! How many do you have?"

Error hid this sophisticated manifestation of magic and looked up.  
"Usually five," he said, as if they were talking about something completely normal. "Sometimes eight…" Ink's face took on a strange expression that bordered on curiosity and shock, which greatly amused the destroyer.

"You must be great at kissing!" the artist made an absolutely ‘harmless’ joke, which made Error literally flush with embarrassment and stare at himself in bewilderment. "And still, your blush is very pretty."  
"Are you normal at all?" the other shouted, looking at the artist with wide eyes. "Although who am I saying this to, of course you're crazy," the glitch switched to a hiss, and then, realizing something, quietly asked: "Why did you even think of that?"

Ink, who didn't know whether to laugh or coo, looked at Error in surprise.  
"I don't know, it just came to me. Oh, I have an idea!" he took out a brush and began to draw a shape in the air.  
"What are you doing?" Error sounded fed up.  
"You'll see! A few more touches and... Done!" a moment later, Ink was holding a large wicker basket in front of him and immediately placed all the yarn in it. "Now it looks like a gift."  
"What do you want?" the glitch asked suddenly, looking skeptically at the object held out to him.  
"Um, what do you mean?"  
"Are you trying to bribe me or something?" Error glared at the guardian.  
"Oh, Error, stop being so grumpy, it doesn't suit you. I just gave you a gift from my entire nonexistent soul! If you need reasons, it’s because I like your toys so much," the artist sighed, and forced him to accept the basket.  
"Thanks..." the other muttered for the sake of decency, once again beginning to hide behind a mask of indifference.  
"Come on! I know you like it!" the guardian placed his hands on top of the glitch's, making him wince. "I will wait for your new dolls!" Ink smiled broadly and contentedly, then let go of the confused skeleton. "See ya!"

The defender of the AUs waved his brush, disappearing somewhere in the paint, and Error was left alone again. Having created a crochet hook, he began to make a basis for something new from the materials gifted to him.

The wind continued to howl, and the destroyer just sat there and smiled sheepishly.


	3. The Algorithm of Absurd

"Stop there, you rainbow scum!" The glitch yelled for the whole AU to hear, trying to keep up with the nimble artist.  
"I told you, it wasn't on purpose!" the other dodged strings and periodically phased through obstacles in the form of an inky puddle.

Error was shrieking something in the background, teleporting from one place to another as Ink leaped over the tops of local trees and houses’ roofs to get away from the chase.

It should be said that the strength, speed and endurance of the guardian were always at his best, allowing him to deftly evade attacks, and in this case strings, and block them on time, not allowing himself to be harmed. At one time, Error had thought that the inability to instantly teleport was Ink's weakness, but then he decided that the ability to jump almost a kilometer and the ability to run entire marathons with ease is actually a very useful skill. And even if Ink only played in close combat, he was still a good fighter.

Accidentally blowing up a local mountain, which seemed to be made of ice cream, Error created an avalanche. Quickly assessing the situation, the artist drew himself a board and with a joyous cry began to parody epic scenes from movies. Gritting his teeth, the destroyer summoned a blaster as he teleported, arriving astride it before Ink and casting a net of strands to capture him. In response, the artist just laid down on the board during a jump, effectively passing under the trap.

With a grunt, Error used his last trump card: he distorted the space around him so that a whole chunk of the location was in a different place, and, unable to brake sharply, Ink steered straight into the semblance of a springboard, flying beautifully in the direction of the local soda lake. And behind him came the avalanche.

Mmm, fizz and cream. What a corrupted place! Some AUs truly were weird, but this candy-and-gingerbread version was the height of vulgarity.

Returning the world to its normal state, the glitch flew closer, trying to figure out where his inky companion had gone. It was quiet for a while, but he still felt like he was about to be tricked. Hovering at a height at which Ink was unlikely to get him, but he could still see something, he began to look for the lost skeleton.

"Glitchy, hi!" The destroyer turned around with a puzzled expression as he heard a voice behind him, and stared at this abnormal sight with round eyes. The artist, with the most contented smile, was at the top of a peculiar column of sparkling water, himself half composed of this strange pink liquid.

"What… How did you-" The glitch turned his blaster and stared at the guardian in confusion.

"There's so much dye in this lemonade that I'm in my element here," the other laughed heartily, for which he received a shot right at the base of the column. Still laughing, he dissolved into paint and almost immediately reappeared in a different place.

Once again filled with anger, Error began to actively fire at the impudent inkwell, but Ink was only dying of laughter from these empty and stupid attempts to harm him.

"Are you finished?" the artist reappeared in front of the Error, riding a giant makeshift hand made of colored liquid.

The other grunted and turned away.

"Glitchy, honestly, I'm sorry! I didn't want to drop anything on you! Let me clean your clothes and everything will be fine again!"  
"You shouldn't have laughed, you idiot" Error crossed his arms and pouted.  
"Oooh," Ink coo, "Is someone trying to be grumpy again? Error, you look like an angry cat! Should I pet you, oh offended one?" Ink leaped to the surface of the blaster, sitting down next to him and gently tugging at his neighbor's scarf.  
"How annoying you are..." the hiss that really turned glitch into the aforementioned animal passed through the air with a soft crackle.  
"What can I do to make you forgive me, huh?" the artist said plaintively.  
"Just shut up..."  
"Okay!"

There was an awkward silence. The destroyer still sat legs tucked up, and Ink stared with interest at the lake below them, watching the shimmering colors and the many bubbles that glowed in the rays of the local sun. Inspired by something, he decided to draw a little and took out one of his albums.

Before the guardian could even finish the sketch, he was pushed down, and the sketchbook was torn from his hands by numerous strings. He shouted something and splashed back into the water.

"Let's call it my little revenge," glitch laughed, tossing the stolen item in his hands.  
"Error, give it back!" Ink, who had returned, looked at his friend with displeasure.  
"You don't have any personal notes here, do you?" Error asked, following Ink's expression and grinning. "If you want to get it back — catch up with me!" with that, he disappeared in a flash.  
"You want to play? Where's my thread? Kitty-kitty!" the artist dissipated into paint after him. 

And the classic cat-and-mouse game started again. Only now Error was running away, and Ink was catching up. More precisely, the first one just dodged and teleported, sometimes tripping the artist with strings, laughing out loud from this dissatisfied face, and the second one tried to catch him off guard, which didn't work out very well.

They were laughing, with a fervent twinkle in their eyes, moving as if in a dance, smiling widely from the rush of energy and excitement, not letting each other win. It was no longer like their usual battles; they had left them in the past. It was really a game and they were spinning, completely immersed in it.

At one point, Ink was able to grab glitch's hand, under the other's surprised gaze.

"Gotcha!" the artist narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, gripping the multicolored hand tightly so that the destroyer wouldn't dare to escape, and swung the brush sharply, restoring the soiled clothes to their normal state.

It wasn't the fact that he was caught that caused Error's surprise, but the fact that he didn't react to the sudden touch. When he predicts that he is about to be touched — this is one thing, and when they touch suddenly — quite another. Does this mean that his phobia is beginning to pass?

"Ink," glitch said sharply, in a pale tone that drew a wary and uncomprehending glance. "Can you hold out your hand to me?" These words caused a silent shock to the guardian, who, after looking Error up and down as if seeing him for the first time, tilted his head in disbelief.

"Um... I don't know why you want this, but okay..." he put aside his brush, and a little hesitantly complied with the request, placing his hand at the level of the Error's face. Error couldn't think of anything better — because his own hands were full — except to bend down and bury his forehead in it. Clenching his teeth at the foreign sensation, he waited for the wave of glitches in his body to subside, and involuntarily sighed, watching with a grin as the artist stood with his jaw hanging open.

"You... did you..." his eye lights turned into quivering dots, and as he realized something, the guardian abruptly turned away, snatching his hands away, spitting out another batch of ink on the ground. Ink wasn't to be expected to do something else, but for some reason it made the destroyer smile.

"You... I... Error!" the artist cried in delight, unable to find the words. "You’ve... I'm so happy! I mean… You..." he clutched his head, panting, completely forgetting that Error still had the album. "You've almost overcome your fear!"

Without saying anything in response, the interlocutor just snorted, enjoying watching the oddities of this cute idiot, hiding the trophy in his pocket.

Interesting, would he even remember it?

  


***

  


The artist went through the sketches, trying to find the right one. Recently, one of the Authors created a very interesting AU, which could be just a great place for their meeting. Ink was perplexedly smiling to himself as he scribbled a plan of action on his scarf. The main thing is to keep himself organised and everything would be fine.

The AU didn't have a name yet, and Ink was well aware that it was made up of many different pieces. But they complemented each other perfectly, as if they were specially created in this way. With an embarrassed chuckle, the artist, imagining how surprised the destroyer would be, pressed the desired piece of paper to himself. They say that cats like quiet places. Heh, cats.

Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't notice that the aforementioned person had already looked into his workshop.

"Rainbow, do you copy?" glitch drawled unobtrusively, trying to draw attention to himself.  
"Oh, Error, you're already here?" Ink's eyes widened in surprise. "I forgot you were coming early today."

Shaking his head, Error moved closer and looked at the AU-list in Ink's hands.  
"An unfinished universe? Shorty, I thought you had taste."  
"That's not what you think!" the other waved his hands defensively. "It's very good, there are already several ready-made locations! You'll like it, I'm sure!"  
"Characters?" the interlocutor specified.  
"There's no one there!" the artist replied with satisfaction, knowing that this was one of the conditions of their successful sortie. And after waiting for his friend's approval, Ink took him by the hand, moving them to a new location.

The shroud of paint disappeared, and the travelers had a view of a small green cave with overgrown stone slabs with glowing patterns around the edges. There was a slight dimness here, and a strange blue glow not far away.

"And?" Error asked, somewhat displeased, apparently expecting something else. "Is this it?"

"No, of course not!" the artist looked around and tried to explain everything: "It’s a secret place, and you can only get to it from here. Let's go!" Holding his hand tighter, Ink dragged the destroyer toward that strange glow. Of course, Error didn't like being treated like this, but he didn't say anything, because it was useless anyway.

At some point, they came out of the cave and, under the satisfied "Ta-da!" from Ink, Error saw what looked like a sea of blue fog, from which grew huge crystals of emeralds. They rose in graceful columns above the surface of the magical mist and shimmered with a soft green light.

Somewhere in the sky, bright points of stars twinkled, melting into the blue-gray sky near the two moons.

"So-o-o, what do you think?" Ink sang mockingly, pleased with himself.  
"I want to take a closer look," the other said shortly, and teleported to one of the crystals.  
"Hey!" the guardian exclaimed, offended, and jumped after him, deftly pushing off from the shiny surfaces.

The destroyer didn't stand still and tried to find the most convenient place to settle, moving and looking around in search of the ideal.

"Error, this way!" Ink's voice was heard, and glitch turned to see him standing on top of the largest and most beautiful emerald. Of course, because the artist's vision is normal. After teleporting, Error stood next to him, and again began to look around, now just enjoying the beauty.

"I like your choice, Rainbow," glitch said with a grin. "You just grew in my eyes!"  
"Error!" Ink pouted, crossing his arms, which made the destroyer laugh.  
"What is it, Shorty?" he smiled mockingly. "Are you afraid that this universe will not reach the height of its greatness?"  
"Erro-o-or… Why are you starting this again?" the guardian grumbled.  
"Your anger is funny," the other quipped, smiling impudently.

The artist muttered something, turned away, and then stared into space in confusion, again forgetting what he wanted. Turning around and seeing the Error's satisfied smile, Ink remembered his plan.

"So how are you, Glitchy? Ready for a hug?" his friendly eyes stared at the black skeleton. The expression on Error's face changed abruptly to surprise and slight fear.  
"Ink, are you sure this is the right time?" he asked warily, taking a step back.  
"Come on, you've been training for a long time! Here, just hold out your hands," the guardian approached the destroyer as if to push him off the crystal.   
"I'm... Not sure..." the other wanted to run, but he knew Ink was right.

The artist continued to look at him kindly, evoking a certain sense of confidence. Strange sensations began to prick glitch's soul again, forcing him to make a reciprocal step forwards.

Error very timidly held out his hands and in indecision took over the other's shoulders. Ink looked at this appraisingly.

"Don't tell me you don't know how to hug," the artist said, arching an eyebrow. Glitch said nothing. "Here, look," Ink took the other by the wrists and guided them along his ribs, and he reached towards the Error's neck, but suddenly froze. Hugging little Dream is one thing, but when you're facing Error that's a head taller, it's another.

"Glitchy, can you bend over?" the guardian asked stiffly.  
"What is it, Shorty?" the other grinned amusingly, not missing the opportunity to tease the artist again. "Is your height not enough?"  
"I can put my arm around your waist, but it won't be a hug, it'll be an act of fanaticism," Ink pouted.

Suddenly, Error just picked up Ink under the other's shocked gaze, and grinned widely, trying to hold back his laughter.

"Error, what are you doing? Put me down!" Ink yelled, clutching glitch's outstretched arms, trying to keep his balance.  
"Pfft!" The destroyer could no longer contain his laughter. "Rainbow... Haha, you should see yourself!" as if to annoy the poor guardian even more, Error began to lift and lower him like a child, almost tossing him up and down.  
"Erro-o-or!!!" the artist was half-screaming, half-grumbling, covered with a rainbow of shame. This is just an impossible mockery!  
"Did you know you were very light?" Glitch's sudden remark threw the guardian off. "Like a big plush toy."  
"A toy? Me?" The other froze, staring at the person responsible for this strange situation. "Stop joking, Error, and let me go!"

Suddenly, Error's face became serious and even thoughtful. Noticing this, the artist blinked in confusion, not understanding what had happened.

"Error? Is everything okay?" the guardian asked quietly, not moving. The other was silent and just looked at the artist, as if thinking about something very much.

Ink really _did_ look like a toy. Quite cute, with big colored eyes, beautifully dressed, small. The kind you’d want to hug and not let go.

Closing his eyes and imagining that it was just a pillow, glitch somehow abruptly pulled Ink to him, burying his face in the guardian's scarf that smelled strangely but incredibly pleasantly of old books and graphite.

"Error..." squeaked the artist, who was simultaneously in an almost iron grip and surrounded by very unusual sensations. Without understanding, he just stared ahead, blinking occasionally as he listened to the strange sound coming from glitch's direction. A cross between a very hasty clock ticking and a deep, echoing noise. Confused and afraid to make a move, the guardian breathed softly, feeling these pulsations pass through him, as if trying to find something.

The beating of the soul? Could it be...

Before he knew it, Error immediately set him on his feet and began glitching something unintelligible, turning away. After calming down a bit, the destroyer turned around and asked with some surprise:

"Where's the ink?" that snapped the confused interlocutor out of his stupor.  
"What?" the artist just looked up, not knowing what the other was talking about.  
"You should have thrown up by now..." They just stared into each other's eyes for a moment, as if waiting for some miracle to happen.

And Error laughed hysterically.

"Rainbow..." chuckle, "Don't tell me you... hah... crashed! Spending time with me is clearly not good for you!"

The other just silently grabbed the end of the scarf and made some rather strange notes, one of which read: _'I think all this time ~~I felt the Error's soul~~ ,'_ followed by a lot of crossed-out phrases.

"You know," the destroyer interrupted a series of jumping thoughts. "You kept asking me how I felt, and I never answered you... um… You kind of got what you wanted…" Error really didn't like what he was saying, but something was pushing him hard. "Thank you, Ink, for helping me."

Touched, the guardian almost burst into tears. He wanted to hug Error again, but the other stopped him, saying that was enough for today.

"You know, Glitchy," the artist smiled his radiant smile again. "My plan isn't over yet. You need to get used to hugs as well!"

  


***

  


"Oh, here's a good place!" the artist exclaimed joyfully as he hopped across a small clearing at the top of the mountain.

Without a word, the destroyer looked down from the elevation at the tiny settlement in the distance, then nodded approvingly to his friend. The other's smile only deepened.

A small fog was already beginning to cover the evening landscape, and the last outline of the sun was fading into the horizon.

"Wow, Error, look! The sky is so bright! You can see so well from here!" an artist to the core, Ink took out a spare sketchbook and began sketching the tints of red on the sparse clouds.

Pretending that he didn't care, glitch looked around the clearing and spread out a thick blanket with his strings, immediately falling on it and putting his hands under his head, enjoying the soft rustle of the wind.

It was quiet for a while, the sky darkened, and the stars began to appear. The last flash of light disappeared under the cover of night and Ink, satisfied with his work, hung up the brushes in place.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was a little distracted," realizing that the black skeleton had been alone all this time, Ink ran up to him in confusion and sat down next to him.

The destroyer looked at the other and waved his hand, as if to say it wasn't the first time.

Time, decorated with dialogue, slowly passed, and at some point the artist barely noticeably, but began to shake from the already palpable autumn cold.

"Rainbow, what's wrong with you? Are you cold or what?" glitch asked with a grin, but suddenly noticed the guardian's dim eyes, knowing that he had hit the nail on the head.

"I d-don't know. I guess so..." Ink muttered, wrapping his scarf around himself.

The destroyer appraised him, then stood up and used his bones to cut down a few branches from nearby trees, forming the base for a fire. Figuring that if he fired a volley, it would probably set fire to the forest, glitch summoned a blaster and simply shoved a stick into its mouth, making a small torch out of it.

Ink, understanding the idea, jumped up and began to carry stones, beautifully decorating this improvised hearth.

Soon the two of them were sitting peacefully by the fire. Ink basked in the warmth, and Error watched the moths.

"Rainbow, answer me, how can you freeze if you are a skeleton?" Error asked with interest, thinking that there was no way the other could answer him.

"Well ..." the guardian was a little confused. "Given that I don't have a soul, I can say that I might not be a monster. I don't have any proof, just a hunch."  
"Ya-ya," the destroyer sighed. "You don't remember anything," he said, a hint of understanding in his voice made Ink smile sweetly. Seeing this, the destroyer quickly looked away, not knowing why.

There was an awkward silence. The wood crackled in a dance of fire, and fireflies lingered in the shadows.

The guardian was thinking about something, clenching his fists with a slight tremor, as if planning something.

"Error..." he began at some point, to ease the slight tension. "Do you have any fears? Except for haptophobia."  
"That's a strange question, Shorty," the other said thoughtfully. "And what are you afraid of?"  
"Me?" Surprise was immediately replaced by trust. "I'm afraid of being alone. I've never managed to understand how you were able to stay in the Anti-Void alone for so long and keep your mind. Lonely, abandoned… it's such a torture."  
"I wasn't alone. I was supported by Voices," glitch sighed contentedly and sat down more comfortably. "They kept me company and helped me stay myself."

"I hear voices sometimes, too. They're like from another world. But I've never been able to communicate directly with Them..." the artist looked at Error with interest, as if waiting for answers.

"You know," a skeptical squint, "You don't look like a person who might be afraid of being alone at all." said glitch, with a certain amount of disbelief, "You're a restless electric train with a bunch of friends!"

This phrase made Ink laugh for some reason, and he leaned back and looked dreamily at the sky.

"You may not believe me, Error, but you're the only person I've communicated with right now," Ink whispered with some caring. "And I can call you my friend without a twinge of conscience."

Glitch stared at the floor, uncomprehending. These words both pleased and upset, and the needle somewhere in his soul painfully pricked with an echo of incomprehensible feelings.

"Glitchy, what's wrong?" the guardian said softly, trying to look into other's eyes. "Are you worried about me? You don't need to be!" Ink touched the striped cheek gently, making Error wince again. "I don't need anyone but you."

Glitch felt his soul change its rhythm with all his being, and magic treacherously appeared on his cheekbones. Turning his head to the side, he said with a slight hiss:

"First you say you're afraid of being alone, and now you say you don't need anyone," he pointed out with disdain, thinking that the other was just playing with him. This splash of ink can't be completely sincere by being insensitive. "Ink, you're contradicting yourself. Or are you lying?" he looked the guardian in the eyes, wanting to catch him in a lie, but he immediately regretted doing this.

Flickering in the glare of the fire, running as if in rewind, the figures sparkled with a variety of emotions, betraying the artist's confusion and excitement. Glitch felt that piercing look as if on his own skin.

"Error, you may think I'm a fool, but I can see perfectly well," the artist said softly. "You care about me, just like I care about you."

"But you don't have a soul!" the other tried to move away, or at least hide in his scarf, arms outstretched blankly, but Ink wouldn't let him go. "You can't have feelings for anyone!"

The guardian smiled strangely and gave a silly laugh.

"I can feel, Error..." Ink said, as if reading his misgivings, "Even without a soul, I can!" he moved closer and touched his forehead to the destroyer. "Trust me..." Closing his eyes and not allowing a response, the artist carefully, as if afraid to burn him, touched the Error's nervous grin with a modest kiss, almost weightlessly sharing their warmth. The guardian once again began to tame the unsociable skeleton to himself, without pressing him with unnecessary haste. The hand slid from his cheek, and Ink took the destroyer's hand in a familiar way. As if talking again: _'I'm with you!'_

There was a strange feeling in the air which turned the fear of touch into a necessity of them. Still resisting his own impulses, the destroyer stubbornly refused to accept what was happening. He couldn't believe it, didn't want to admit it... but he felt it. He felt this frequent heartbeat inside, this crazy magic that made him look like a nightlight, these frightening actions on the part of the artist. It was all maddening, bringing back the familiar fog in his head.

The needle in his soul that had been tormenting him all this time, like a seed, began to open, tickling and sprouting, becoming an integral part of his essence, forcing its owner to accept that he was now tied, bound with strong loops of his own strings to someone he had previously considered an enemy. Unable to resist it, the skeleton finally made up his mind, wrapping his free arm around his cute rainbow bastard, leaning in to meet him.

Realizing the response, Ink squeezed his eyes shut in relief, kissing Error more confidently, pressing his head to himself. For some unknown reason, the artist was very easy, unlike glitch, who flinched in confusion from the overwhelming sensations, as if getting used to the artist's touch again, struggling to cope with his fear.

As soon as the guardian pulled away, he immediately felt that Error was unbearably ill and would have fallen if the artist didn't hold him. Glitch was shaking violently from the lines running in his eyes, that brought him almost physical pain.

"Error, hush, calm down!" Ink felt at a loss, even though he knew perfectly well that his plan would end this way. In any case, he couldn’t help Error now, so he'd have to wait for the other to recover himself.

The pressure inside slowly subsided, fragments of phrases flashed through his head, and the destroyer began to realize that this damn artist was right about something, because otherwise there would have been a program failure long ago, which, surprisingly, didn't happen. Of course, he had already felt that his attitude towards this puddle of ink was very peculiar, but... Was this what Ink had been trying to achieve all this time?

"You..." hissed the destroyer with a certain anger and incomprehension. "You made me fall in love with you!" The realization hit hard on the psyche, making him jump back in fright and look at the offender with rage. Glitch wanted to attack, but with horror realized that he was no longer able to cause this rainbow asshole harm.

In response, the artist somehow hysterically laughed, covering his face with his hand, which confused glitch, but at one point Ink fell silent and with barely noticeable tears in his eyes, smiling, said calmly:  
"You did it much earlier."

"What?" Error's mouth dropped open in disbelief, and all the panic abruptly passed, leaving a taste of surprise in its wake.

"I've always been interested in you, but I didn't understand what drove you. When I found out that you were hunting hackers and saved several lines of the Classic universe from interference, I began to suspect that you were not just some absolute villain like Nightmare, and you were aware of your actions. Your puppets proved to me that you have a soul. And when I managed to persuade you to negotiate, and you explained your position to me... I realized that we are two sides of the same coin," the guardian grinned strangely. "Since then, my interest in you has only grown. At one point, when we quarrelled again, I realized that I had become dependent on your presence. I wasn't going to make you fall in love with me, after all I didn't really know what I felt myself. I just wanted to make you feel comfortable, to help you in some way. And when I noticed that you were showing the same signs of sympathy… I couldn't control myself anymore. I'm sorry if I was too hasty."

"Rainbow idiot," Error sighed, trying to digest this information. In fact, this really explains a lot, but glitch doubted that he would be able so easily accept this... let's put it straight — a confession.

Ink smiled shyly again as he watched the Error's internal doubts, then quickly wrote it all down on his scarf so that he wouldn't forget it again.

They sat in silence for a while, thinking about something of their own. Ink was afraid that Error due to his nature would reject him and make him suffer from loneliness, and glitch was trying to cope with the thought that he really missed this strange warmth.

Each of them felt some kind of fear. Some apprehension. In a hundred different ways, they tried to hide their uncertainty, to hide behind stupid questions.

But maybe they were afraid of each other?

Ignorance, misunderstanding. Hiding the sincerity and not wanting to hold out a hand.

Only in trust lies the answer.

The murmur of birdsong cut through the whisper of the wind, and the crackle of the fire became a strange, incoherent song. The moon peeked out curiously from behind the clouds, floating in the milk of the stars. Sparse moths and the glint of fireflies were in the air.

Ink ran the stick over the ground, cursing himself for what he had done. There was no need to do anything at all, because then he could continue to see Error and not worry about anything. However, he was not at all sure that this wouldn't have happened at some point. Knowing himself, the artist was convinced that he really never thought about the consequences. A kind of cold enveloped his body, even in the heat of the fire. Sadness turned his eyes a faint blue.

Suddenly, with wild surprise, he felt Error's hands on his waist and head on his shoulder. Glitch for some reason hugged him from behind, holding him carefully.

"Glitchy?" the guardian whispered in surprise, not knowing what to expect from a quick-tempered Error. But something inside him told him that everything would be fine.

"Shut up," the other whispered, and buried his face in the artist's scarf, inhaling the strange sweet smell.

Ink gasped in confusion as he felt the soft magic breath on his neck, then smiled and ran his hand over the destroyer's cheekbone. There is no retaliatory confession more sincere than embrace from a haptophobe. Words here would definitely be superfluous, because Ink has already understood everything.

Dreamily closing his eyes, the guardian listened with rapture to the other's soulbeat, which gradually became calmer and more confident. The paint that replaced for him this important organ flowed through his body in harmony, reflecting with sparks in his eyes.

Glitch's grip weakened, and he snorted, which caused a sigh of emotion of the artist. The guardian carefully placed him on the blanket, drew a small tent around them, and put out the fire.

Looking at the calm Error's face, Ink smiled again:  
"Like a cat," he whispered with a quiet laugh, lying down next to the destroyer and covering himself with a jacket from his belt.

_'It's normal to be afraid. The main thing is to overcome your fear.'_


	4. The Echo of Response

Flushing bright blue, Error turned away, offended.

"Ink, you make another joke like that and I'll personally gag you."  
"I wasn't joking just now," the other drawled mockingly, grinning widely, which earned him an even more perplexed look in his direction.  
"You can't be serious," glitch said, but the artist was still smiling. "Okay, but what makes you think I'd agree?"  
"You agreed to date me!" It seems that someone started throwing trumps.

Just as the destroyer wanted to say that it wasn't the same, he stopped before he even started. Ink was clearly starting to win this fight.

"Come on, Error!" Ink stood on the boulder he was sitting on and held out his hand to glitch.  
"You're such a jerk..." Error came over and hugged this little abomination, somehow out of habit inhaling the familiar smell of paper.  
"I love you too," the artist grinned and began to stroke the other's head, sometimes brushing over prickly pixels. "Heh, Glitchy! Why do you continue to distrust everything?"  
"And I will continue!" the interlocutor squinted viciously, turning his head to the side.  
"Maybe you're just not used to it yet?"  
"If we follow your logic, then we need to just accept everything..." glitch closed his eyes in some kind of resignation.  
"Or live in ignorance," Ink sighed. "What do you think, if we didn't know that we are programs, lines of code, what would our life be like?"  
"It wouldn't bring many changes. Even if we were pictures or a series of beautiful phrases in a sentence — it doesn't change our essence," the other muttered the first thing that came to mind.  
"I like your reasoning!" The artist smiled broadly and held the destroyer's face toward him with his palm, peering at the strange stripes and - unusual for the skeletons of their Multiverse - red eyes. "So much space for creativity and imagination! You inspire me so much!" the last phrase he almost whispered, starting to gently kiss the disgruntled one.

Error closed his eyes out of habit, no longer afraid of manifestations of his phobia. Ink has done a really great job, teaching him not just to stop being afraid, but also to take the initiative in touching. Well, apart from the fact that this applies exclusively to Ink himself. When it comes to others, the destroyer continues to hiss. Not that Ink was upset by this, but on the contrary — being a monophobe, he was incredibly afraid of losing Error's attention.

The same thought about the strange taste of other's magic flashed through both their minds again. Error could taste the sweet-salty tang of the charcoal that made up the artist's ink, as well as him in general, and Ink was delighted to compare his sensations with the pastel crayons he likes so much. Color is a very unusual thing for someone who lives thanks to it.

"So what do you say to my suggestion?" the guardian asked after a few moments, burning through Error with a look of curiosity.  
"Let me get this straight," the other said skeptically. "You asked me to live with you, although you made it sound like a marriage proposal, maybe even worse. And what should I think when some of your phrases often have two or even three subtexts?"  
"Glitchy, you're exaggerating!" the artist began to play innocent again. "Besides, why shouldn't we do both?"

Releasing Ink from his embrace and covering his face with his hand, glitch began to laugh loudly and hysterically.

"God, Ink..." the destroyer said, calming down. "You're insufferable."  
"Should I give you time to think?" It was impossible to tell from the artist's face whether he was mocking or sincere, but Error was sure that he could trust this strange creature.

"Shorty, look at the facts: you can't stand the Anti-Void, and Doodle Sphere pisses me off just by looking at it. Any ideas?" Error raised an expectant eyebrow. "And no, I won’t live in someone else's world!" It was necessary to immediately cut off such offers if they suddenly appeared in his empty skull.  
"So you agree!" Ink literally brightened, sparkling with enthusiastic stars in his eyes. "Now, wait a minute!" He took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm his excitement, "Let's go!" the artist leaped down from the rock and grabbed glitch's hand, swinging the brush and plunging them both into the paint.

A moment later, they appeared in a strange empty place that looked suspiciously like an Anti-Void. Error was about to be indignant, but his sensitivity picked up the code. This area doesn't belong to the interworld space and the Multiverse at all. They are somewhere in another reality. In the inverted one.

The bottom line is simple: the Anti-Void has an all-conquering value of 0.0.0, maybe even minus, which allows it to dissolve everything in it. You need to have a special code or immunity to resist such an aggressive environment. Due to the abnormal nature the real image is not displayed, instead taking on the blank color of an empty file. Here the situation was reversed: the value of this place was 255.255.255 — a combination of all colors in the highest form, which gives a full-fledged, real white. Although it's perceived the same way, it’s nothing alike. A clever move, the artist pleased both of them.

"Where did you find this?" the destroyer asked in genuine surprise, gesturing at the space in front of them.  
"It was an accident. Well, and I was helped by two creators," he drawled contentedly, breaking into a funny fanged smile. "Don't say anything, Glitchy, I can already see that you like it! Let's settle in," at these words the artist waved his brush, covering a decent area of space with multicolored paint in one sweep. With a snap of his fingers, the building of his workshop literally grew out of it, turning the remaining spray into trees and blooming greenery.

With a grunt, Error simply and without too much pathos teleported his toys here, hanging them on strings above the roof. For some reason, this made Ink laugh.

"It looks very creative!" the guardian was inspired and with one jump was on the tiled surface, beginning to examine the puppets.

Glitch shook his head and went inside, taking another look at this strange and, even for his taste, wondrous house. Not much had changed since last time he saw it, which was not surprising: unfinished paintings, lots of sketches, notes, jars, palettes, and other artistic stuff.

"Oh, you're already here!" the owner of all this mess arrived. "I think we should add a couple of rooms, maybe even a second floor, what do you think?"  
"Ink," Glitch sighed. "Do what you want, because I'll still be living outside."  
"Oka-a-ay, I'll make a room with a glass dome instead of a ceiling for you!" the other dreamed and ran to fulfill the idea.  
"Did you hear me at all?" Error chased after him.

In the course of some fuss, Ink somehow managed to persuade, or rather convince Error that living in the house was not so bad. At this particular moment, glitch was sleeping soundly on a mountain of pillows in a freshly painted room that looked like an observatory. Ink didn't lie and actually made a huge dome, through which you could see puppets hanging on strings and an empty white sky. A little tired from the work he had done, the artist lay curled up next to Error, occasionally writing down ideas on a scarf. Trying to find a more or less comfortable position, Ink sat up and began to arrange the pillows in a some special order.

Black slates lay carelessly on the floor, a strange soft silence floated in the air, and there was a pleasant smell of paint. All this plunged the artist into a strange state of complete peace and tranquility. He wanted to stop this moment and stay in it forever.

Returning to his seat and closing his eyes sleepily, Ink began to think of all sorts of things: their work, the old feud and reconciliation, the feelings so absurdly and firmly fixed in his mind. Everything happened in a time frame that didn't even matter on the scale of the Universes. It's all so amazing.

He turned on his side and hugged Error, holding tight to him, feeling the hug returned. When there is a time vector, even outcode creatures become powerless before fatigue. Sleep is a great solution, especially when there is someone who is the best pillow in the world.

The guardian closed his eyes, smiling broadly.

  


***

  


When there is no change of day and night and the internal clocks are broken, it's especially difficult to determine how long you have been away from reality. Ink stretched his limbs as he tried to figure out where he was. The answer was not long in coming, and Ink was surprised to find that he was covered with a long black cloak with the familiar blue and gold accents. Chuckling, he picked it up and donned this wonderful find right on top of his clothes. When the artist got to his feet, he found a few funny things: the cloak was so big that it hung from his shoulders, and the hem dragged carelessly on the floor, even though it was far from the mantle of Asgore. With a grin and a raised brush, Ink went in search of the owner of this wonderful thing.

After making the rounds of the few rooms so far, the guardian went outside, looking for glitch.

The other was sitting on the roof making something. And this was clearly not another puppet.

"Glitchy!" Ink shouted, drawing attention to himself. The black skeleton raised his head and patted the seat next to him. Smiling, the artist was almost immediately next to him, looking at this simple red t-shirt, revealing multi-colored hands, which in turn the destroyer hid behind his back, apparently not wanting to show what he was working on. There was a cute blush on his face, and Ink could already guess what the reason might be. Sitting down next to him and forgetting about returning the cloak, the guardian watched with a chuckle as Error was about to say something, but each time started glitching.

"Glitchy, is everything all right?" there was a slight flicker of worry in the Ink's eyes, but glitch didn't answer him. "Error?"  
"Do you remember what you asked me?" the other began softly.  
"Sure!" the artist exclaimed joyfully. "I wrote it down, why?"  
"This is my answer," The voice trembled violently, and the destroyer himself, holding something out to Ink, turned away, apparently burning with shame, but not wanting to show it.

The artist took the item and was surprised to realize that he was holding in his hands a small bracelet made of strings twisted to a state of metallic luster with a beautiful shiny black stone as a decoration. It consisted entirely of Error's magic, which meant only one thing: in the tradition of monsters, such things share the symbolism of rings.

Covering his mouth and trying to control himself, the guardian still couldn't stand it, which turned the roof a little lower down black. Euphoria, elation and admiration enveloped the mind, making everything around incredibly beautiful. Glowing with happiness, Ink hugged Error tightly from behind, muttering something unintelligible.

With a sigh, the destroyer calmly took the other's hand, and, closing his eyes, just began to enjoy the pleasant feeling of complete reciprocity.

"Oh, Glitchy," suddenly Ink caught himself. "What can _I_ give you?"  
"It's not like _you_ should have a problem making something." Surprised, but still confused face stared at him as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.  
"I want something special! Something that only I can make..." the artist thought seriously and began to dig through the scarf, looking for some clue.

Glitch looked at the color-changing question marks in the guardian's eyes, then at his focused face. Without releasing the bracelet from his palm, the other actively flipped through the notes, reading them obliquely to increase the speed. The tip of the tattoo poked out from under the pulled-back scarf, giving the destroyer some thoughts.

"Ink," with a single movement, Error stopped him from wasting time and effort by grabbing his hand. "You're an artist, start with this!"  
"You want me to draw on you?" A brow arched, but at the same time, the guardian's face registered an epiphany. "Of course! Thank you, Glitchy! What kind of drawing do you want? Maybe body art? I can arrange it!" he reached for the brushes, but was slapped on the back of the head.  
"Don't get carried away, Rainbow, don't forget that," the victim of future abuse said sullenly, clearly not in the mood for such exploits.  
"Oh, right, I'm sorry," the other immediately looked guilty. "Just on your hand, then? You hide them under your sleeves anyway." Ink pointed to the cloak he was wearing.

After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Error nodded, drawing out a satisfied grin.

So that nothing would interfere, Ink put on the bracelet, immediately feeling it lightly but noticeably entwined around his wrist, no longer allowing itself to be removed. The thought instantly flashed through his mind that the only way to lose it would be by losing his entire arm. Not that it was a funny joke, but Ink smiled, rolling up his sleeves and arming himself with creative tools. With a sigh, Error held out his hand, sincerely hoping that nothing bad would happen.

The pencil tapped on the surface of the black radius, leaving a barely noticeable trace for the future pattern, but noticing a curious look, the artist politely asked him to turn away and not distract him. Glitch shrugged and didn't argue.

Carried away by his idea, the guardian enthusiastically began to draw elegant multi-colored lines, generously spending his magic on this. It was because of it that Error had nicknamed him 'Rainbow'. In fact, there was a trick to this: if you looked at the patterns from a certain angle, you could see - slightly curved, but still distinguishable - Ink's name.

Something magical sparkled in the air. A noise, so familiar and far away, trying to say something intermittently. This was an important step. A step that would change everything. With a kind of pleasant, impatient gurgle, the colors of emotions ran inside, warming and making him hold the brush more confidently. In any way, he couldn’t allow a single blot!

Looking at his work once again and seeing that it was perfect, Ink smiled contentedly.

"That's it, Glitchy, you can look!" the destroyer, who had been in a sort of doze all this time, woke up and looked at his arm, looking at the funny iridescence of spiralled colors.

"Now we match!" the guardian chuckled contentedly, alluding to his own tattoos. "What do you think? Do you want to leave this pattern or do you want something else?"

"Rainbow..." Glitch muttered, seeing the colors flow into each other, as if on the edge of a prism or the surface of a dragonfly's wings. "Keep it like this!" hinting that he didn't care, Error nodded at the artist and smiled. The other looked at him with bright yellow stars in his eyes, giggled in embarrassment and snapped his fingers, causing the paint to soak into the bone with a slight burning sensation, becoming a tattoo. Although in this case, the word 'mark' is more appropriate.

Touching the patterns with the palm of his hand and making sure they were indelible, the destroyer sighed strangely. The magical marriage was consummated.

The melody of pleasant calmness began to play again somewhere inside, reflected in the beats of the soul. The trills of mixed emotions turned to a bright blush on their cheeks, making them smile widely.

Such different, such dissimilar creatures held hands, catching the glint in each other's eyes.

Beautiful lines intertwined in bizarre rows of story, occasionally pulling at the tangle of endless possibilities. This fate has long been written, there was nothing to fear now.

  


***

  


"Now give me my cloak back."  
"Nope!"


	5. Fanart(bonus)

By [Chin (XaxaTen)](https://vk.com/chinmokuu):  


  


By [Саванка](https://vk.com/savanka_creative):  


  


By [Альфа энд Ро(the original author)](https://vk.com/light_is_nothing):  
  
  



End file.
